A cool breeze off the Ganga river caressed Pandit Gangadhar Tripathi’s face. His grandson was sitting opposite to him hearing Bhagavad Gita, for the third time, recited by his dear grandfather in the hustle and bustle of Assi ghat. It was dawn breaking. The young boy’s face was pinned to his grandpa’s radiant face but his eyes were wandering towards the horizon where an orange fruit (the Sun) was tempting him the way it tempted Hanuman.
Pandit Gangadhar asked noticing his flickering mind, “Why do you look so distracted my child? Don’t you like Bhagavad Gita? It’s the greatest treasure known to humanity.”
“Firstly, I do not understand these metaphysical discussions and even if I manage to, I cannot recollect the very next day. What is the point grandpa when I cannot recollect that I learn,” the grandson replied. The problem is genuine, nothing wrong with it. Humans tend to forget 50% of what you read the very next day. So, what’s the purport of reading and re-reading something?
After reflecting upon it, the grandfather gave him a muddy, dirty, leaky bucket and asked him to fetch water from a nearby river. Being an obedient grandson hid did the same.
But by the time he returned all the water in the bucket somehow drained through the hole. The grandfather asked him to repeat until he had a bucket full of water
Finally, the boy lost his patience and asked his grandfather “How long would this go on. I asked a question and you are making me spend my energy in this futile objective!”
The grandfather calmly replied, “Dear child, you could notice that the water has been draining out, but you didn’t notice that in this process the dirt in the bucket has been cleaned up.”
The fallacy of the Human Brain
That is how the human brain works. You will hardly ever recollect all that you have read. However, in that process, your mind goes through a cleansing process by reading and re-reading books like the holy Bhagavad Gita. You can then make room for progressive thoughts.
Moreover, this thought is reinforced by the 18th chapter of Bhagavad Gita where Krishna says in verses 70 and 71:
And he who will study this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I shall have been worshipped by the sacrifice of wisdom; such is my conviction.
The man also who hears this, full of faith and free from malice, he, too, liberated, shall attain to the happy worlds of those of righteous deeds.
Note:
The character and scene here are my brainchildren and any resemblance is purely coincidental. Moreover, this is a fictional story I read somewhere. However, I cannot recollect it’s the actual source. Hence, using some creative liberty, I have embellished it. Hope it helps. It would be helpful if anyone points me back to the original source of the story so that I can share the credit where it’s due.
Somehow this story stuck into my head and thought of sharing it. May Lord Krishna bless everyone.
Also Read: Arjuna’s Dilemma and Bhagvad Gita
